Stories are everything, and everything is content

Tag Archives: Georgia Tech

My burger of choice is at Yeah! Burger, and here Steven Norris and I disagree. He’s more a Bocado man.

I love a good burger and I love storytelling. But it took a Georgia Tech social media pro to connect them for me today.

Social media storytelling is a lot like a good burger, Steven Norris said at a panel discussion sponsored by the Georgia chapter of the Public Relations Society of America. A burger should be handcrafted, authentic and multi-layered, just like many stories told via social media. Different channels are like various toppings and condiments — with content being the meat patty and analytics the bun.

I like the idea, largely because it puts content as the centerpiece, regardless of, say, condiments or toppings. It will vary from project to project whether we employ chiefly Twitter, Facebook, any of the others or a combination of some of them. Maybe you lead with a nice slice of American cheese, squirt on a little ketchup and mustard and add some pickle slices today. Tomorrow, you keep it to a simple double-stack with mayo and lettuce. Wrap it all up in fresh-baked analytics, and you’re good to go.

Maria Jewett and Meg Flynn, with Steven Norris’s slide on the social media storytelling/burger recipe.

You get what he meant.

Some other nice moments from him and the other two panelists:

Steven: Any good social media post drives readers back to your website.

Maria Jewett of FleishmanHillard: “Having a great cause and having a great story will help your brand grow.”

Maria: “I am the editor of my own personal story and so are all of you” — and it’s not much different working for brands or companies.

Meg Flynn of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta: It’s better to focus on original content (including images) than repurpose marketing material and stock photos.

The wall of helmets greets visitors. It’s pretty impressive and lots of fun.

With millions of college football fans glued to the tube this time of year, downtown Atlanta is marking its first season as home of the new College Football Hall of Fame.

It opened in August. It’s a beautiful facility, with more than 90,000 square feet of historical artifacts, displays, interactive features, photos and lots more. The hall is also the latest Really Cool Thing to have downtown, after the Center for Civil and Human Rights across Centennial Olympic Park.

I’m not a college football fan, but I get that many people are. So if you’re watching the game and want something to look at during commercials, check out my pictures here. And plan a trip to the hall. Great stuff.

Click on an image to make it bigger; mouse over to see caption.

The mission statement

For the well-dressed mascot: UGA of Georgia, y’all

Georgia on the wall

Here’s a nice touch: a wall of drawings of great coaches, by Pulitzer-winner Mike Luckovich of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Oh, YEAH! Great burgers at Shaun Doty’s Yeah! Burger. (Don’t forget the one in Virginia-Highland.)

First a Yeah burger, then some Jeni’s. (Sometimes I skip the burger…)

A light lunch at Bartaco

Scroll over a pic for caption; click to make it bigger. More pics below.

Bacchanalia’s a focal point.

Like all great cities, Atlanta is a collection of great, distinct neighborhoods.

West Midtown (or Westside) has exploded over the last several years into one of the most vibrant and engaging around town. West of Midtown across the I-75/I-85 Connector is home to hundreds of new apartments, stylish boutiques, trendy restaurants and nightclubs, art galleries and performance venues. They populate the area around anchors like Atlantic Station, Ikea, Georgia Tech and the railroad tracks that don’t so much cut through the area as give it earthy character to balance all the fab renovations.

Plenty of coffee shops have popped up, including Urban Grind.

Some of my favorites spots in the city are there: Yeah! Burger; Jeni’s Ice Cream; Actor’s Express theater; Nebo digital marketing agency; West Egg eatery; Room & Board; Taqueria del Sol (except for that tiresome lunchtime line out the door); and all the old-school furniture and decor shops that were there even before the place got hot. More are in the photos below.

The neighborhood shows its richly funky roots, swapping sometimes on the same block — industrial/warehouse; and high-tech, with a college touch (Georgia Tech); and high-end/smartly offbeat. West Midtown rewards exploration, so get out of the car and walk around, off Marietta and Northside, and see what you can find.

And eat. And drink.

Fun stuff.

Atlanta or Southern California? Lunch at Bartaco. Scroll down for more pics.

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Bacchanalia has been rated as the city’s best restaurant for years.

Also at the Star Provisions complex is my favorite place on earth, Jeni’s Ice Cream.

Snappin’ on the bridge over the railroad tracks

I dig this new apartment complex, at least the outside look.

The area has lots of high-end retail shops, including a few with famous names.

Miller Union restaurant made a splash when it opened a few years ago and draws a nice lunchtime crowd.

The Westside Cultural Arts Center opened about a year ago to display fine art and host community events.

Not a bad way to wait for the bus.

The Atlanta Humane Society is a mainstay.

Westside has plenty left of its industrial past mixed in with the new stuff.

I like this suit, and a lot more, at Tweeds shop for men.

Lots of new apartments have sprouted up recently, a nice commingling with old lofts and refurbished warehouses.

Keepin’ it real.

Shiny storefronts.

A little Little Italy has formed at Ethel Street and Hemphill Avenue.

Fella on the left said he makes a point of always bringing out-of-town visitors to Antico Pizza.